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Friday, July 13, 2012

Corset Week, Part Five (with GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the final installment of Corset Week! I will, of course, keep you updated as I continue with the underbust corset. Today we have a very exciting giveaway, but first you have to read about my progress (don't worry, it will be quick!).

I got all the grommets inserted and then I laced up the back for a fitting. I did the "bunny ears" lacing style, meaning that two long loops are left at the waist. This causes the compression to happen at the waist first when the corset is laced up. I also put boning into the channels.

I was so excited to try it on! I'm wearing the same dress that I wore for my muslin fitting so you can see the difference. (Actually, let's be honest. I'm wearing this dress because I've been wearing it ALL the time lately in the summer heat. It's the most shapeless knit sack dress in the world, and I'm ashamed that I love it so much. But not ashamed enough that I haven't considered going back to Uniqlo and getting one in a second color.) Here is the corset, mid-progress.

Here is the initial muslin fitting, for comparison.

I'm very happy with my changes! I did make the waist much curvier, and I took out several inches.

Here's the back.

I'm seeing a lot of wrinkles, which makes sense since the corset only has about half the bones it will have in its finished stage. So I feel good about proceeding with construction with no fitting changes. The next steps will be adding the boning channels at the seams, inserting the rest of the bones, and then binding the top and bottom with bias tape.

Okay, your reward for reading all that is a giveaway! There are TWO PRIZES in this giveaway. Julia Bremble of Sew Curvy has graciously offered up a copy of her new ebook, Corset Making.

You can see a preview of the book here; it looks fantastic. The book comes on disk and also has video components. What could be better for this subject?!

Second prize! I happen to have an extra copy of Laughing Moon pattern #113, which includes the underbust corset I'm currently making.

To enter to win both these fabulous prizes, just leave a comment here by the end of the day on Monday, July 16th. All countries eligible. Please make sure that I have a way to get in touch with you, i.e leaving
your email/Twitter handle or making sure your comment is linked to your
profile or blog. Good luck, and Happy Corset Week!

P.S. Funny story: last night I was telling Jeff that today is the end of my corset week posts. He replied, very solemnly: "I try to keep Corset Week in my heart all year." May we all endeavor to do the same!

Oooooh, great giveaway! Being a gothic and also dabbling in historical costuming, I love love love corsets! I even have the most perfect pink-and-violet striped silk waiting in my stash to be turned into one. Yours looks great, btw. The shape is amazing.

I have been ogling this pattern (and it's Sew Curvy kit) for months. I really appreciate all of the information you're sharing about constructing your corset--it will be very helpful for when I finally buy the pattern and make my own. Thanks for putting together the helpful blog posts!

I love your corset! Go Gertie! I would also love to win either of those things; I sewed a Laughing Moon dress a few years ago that I use every so often, but to my shame I have no corset to go under it.

The waist cincher you're making looks lovely! I am a big fan of Victorian corsets and own a variety of them in gorgeous fabrics. Never actually thought of making one but your blog makes it looks feasible. :-)

Cannot WAIT to get a copy of your book, btw. I bought it when you first announced it...now it's in Amazon's hands. :-)

I have always wanted to make my own corset, I absolutely love wearing them, they make me feel the most girly and feminine which I am not on a day to day basis. I just haven't been brave enough to try making one myself yet, I have been toying with the idea of taking one of Julia's courses though, I just have to save up enough money to be able to go

I'm loving reading your series on making the corset. It's something I really want to try my hand at but haven't quite got around to it yet. I would love to have the book. I've been dying to get on a Sew Curvey course for ages, but haven't found one at a time I can go:(

I would love to win. I have attempted a couple corsets in the past, but they didn't come out the way I had hoped so they sit in a drawer without being worn. I need to try again and see what I come up with :)

I'm not so much here for the giveaway as to comment on your fitting, you may wish to give your hips more room in that corset so that when laced the bones in the back are parallel. The way you have it laced right now is going to get uncomfortable as you wear it because the lacing will start to try to redistribute the strain (the bones in the back will try to *become* parallel, loosening the waist by trying to pull slack from the area above and below it) Excess tightening over the hips (which are made of bone after all) hurts.

I was so excited to see you trying to make a corset. I’m in the (currently paused, but getting back to in a week or two) process of making an underbust modified from the Simplicity Civil War-era pattern. I’ve made a few with no respect for actual fit in the (distant) past, but I’m looking forward to making this one that actually acts like a corset and isn’t just pretty sartorial fluff.

Oh, please, please, pleeeeaaaase pick me! I have made 2 3/4 corsets so far. My friend was pleased with hers, but I want a different busk on mine, and am waiting on busk and bones for the unfinished one. I would love an under-bust design, and would like to add a bra to it for some real support. The book could be a lot of help for that.

I have been watching your corset stuff all week and it's amazing! I love the idea of having a custom fit on a corset. I've been wanting to incorporate them in my dresses so I can assure the dresses make my customers feel amazing!Just a side comment:Many customers do not understand the value of undergarments for an overall look. Amazing, I know. That's why I opt to install petticoats and other touches. It makes the customer happy and it makes the sewist happy!

I would be even more happy if I could get the Sew Curvy book or the Laughing Moon pattern. Make my day, whoohoo!I'm subscribed to your rss feed and love this blog

Great series on fitting a corset!I'm planning to make my first soon, because I'm trying to sew up an original pattern from 1912, and I have a feeling my rather flabby midsection won't do it justice without some help :D Those patterns were made to be worn over a corset, so I'm going to bite the bullet, and I'm fairly sure I'll be back to to look at the way you fit yours. Thank you for great blog, and this series in particular :)

I've been thinking about making a pair of bodies (18Th Century Corset) for a while now. Thank you for the inspiration. Now I can hardly wait to see what material you will be using for the actual cover of the corset, and what decorations you'll be using.

Ooooh! It's looking great! I've always wanted to make a corset and you may have given me that "push" to get started! please put me in for the giveaway! I'm excited! Thanks! jm(dot)oneglobalmind(at)gmail(dot)com

I've been working on a corset myself this week, and have been having pretty much the same experience. It's my first real corset (all past ones were costumes that I just used zippers instead of busks, and plastic boning). It's been such an amazing time, seeing it come together, and the differences between the cheap materials and the nice ones. And as we were more or less doing the same steps on the same days, it was like having a more experienced seamstress right beside me helping me along. What a wonderful week.

Your sewing blog has inspired me to experiment so much in my projects. I love this post about corset making because it helped me to visualize a few things that weren't clear in some directions that i have for a corset.

I agree with ADBreon, you should add an inch at the back of your hip section. Parallel lacing reduces strain on single body parts and the width you took out in front should still be sufficient to achieve a close fit!

I'd also love to add the book to my ever growing library of sewing books, so here is my email adress:

I love corsets and yours is coming along nicely! I have never made one but for the last few(or more than a few) months i have had a shirt of my sisters i am wanting to use as a fabric for the corset but i have no idea how and if there would be enough material for the panels. Who knows if iam am lucky and win on my birthday on monday i will have a book to help me make it! Thanks for an awesome giveaway. <3

I am so wanting to make a corset; but have questions about it fitting my much older body - (translates to no longer have a waist after several children and aging). Maybe I'll just make one for my 18 year old daughter!!

Oh, I would love to win these! I have enrolled in a corset making class in February (2013!) (crazy, right? that was the first available date!) and I am superexcited about it. I've already bookmarked your blogposts for reference then :)

I've always wanted to make a corset, but have been so afraid I couldn't really do it. I love reading your blog, and you're so enthusiastic that you make me feel as though I should at the very least try making one. Thank you so much for the opportunity to win!mrswsworld(at)yahoo(dot)com

I haven't had de courage yet to make a corset, but seriously, yours makes me want one just that tad bit more! So, with a bit of luck and some practice, it won't be long until I have one. If the odds are with me :)

Oh my god, that corset looks amazing on you! *drool drool*. I have tried making corsets in the past, with disastrous results, but I think with all the amazing hints you have discussed, I really want to try again! And, of course, the book and pattern couldn't hurt... Keep up the amazing work!

Ooh love the fit :))Another suggestion for lacing that I actually find really nice if you're self-tying: http://corsets.matazone.co.uk/information.php?info_id=14 I believe it is similar to the style you're using now, but has the loops separated on either side (which may make it easier to tie).

Thanks so much for the chance to win such great prizes! I've always wanted to make a corset so I have really enjoyed reading your progress. I also like the modified corset compared to the muslin. It looks great!

I'm really impressed with your corset making skills! I am fascinated by the construction process, and also intimidated. I love looking at the handmade corsets and lingerie at various craft fests, most recently Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle. Your corset week posts have given me a bit more courage, and I'd love to try to make one of my own. Thanks!

I have been wanting to make my daughter a corset for a while now. I loved these post. Corset week is like shark week. I so look forward to it.Thanks for the chance to win.Kathi Gbuttonhole at charter dot net

I feel weird to enter this giveaway, because I love corsets but I'm not so expert to make one my own at the moment... but never say never and as I will try to make some '40 and '50 style dresses may I will need a corset right? ^__^Love your blog, love your Corset week challenge!! Giusy, aka Bubiknits - Italytwitter: bubiknits

Gertie, your work looks amazing and i am now very tempted to venture into this world to discover what it may hold for this thicker waisted/slimmer hipped woman. question for you dear -- the difference between before and after where you took several inches off the waist is what reeled me in. so what i am curious to know is this a figure enhancer (ie it is following your own curves) or is it a figure cincher (ie it is assisting to create the hourglass via its magical design of conforming the body toward its own shape). thanks for sharing love. i am truly inspired and a new fan of your blogging expertise.

Seeing your process, I am that much more determined to start making some corsets. I've always been a bit scared off them, but really... it's one step at a time, and fitting one of these is no different than fitting anything else! Please enter me for the giveaway too :D

Well i certianly don't want to miss out on the giveaway!So, here is my post! Can't wait to see the finished corset; I know it's going to look FABULOUS; it already looks amazing and it's not even finished!